LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A federal judge in Hawaii issued an order Tuesday blocking U.S. President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, one day before it was scheduled to take full effect across the United States.
The decision from U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu stops Trump's third attempt to implement a travel ban. The latest version was issued on Sept. 24, barring various types of travelers from Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Chad, Somalia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Venezuela.
The ban "suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor," Watson wrote in a 40-page ruling granting the state of Hawaii's request for a temporary restraining order nationwide.
"It lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specified countries would be 'detrimental to the interests of the United States,'" and it "plainly discriminates based on nationality."
Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin heralded Watson's ruling against the travel ban that he said "discriminates against people based on their nation of origin or religion."
"Today is another victory for the rule of law. We stand ready to defend it," he said in a statement.
The state has been fighting each version of the travel ban. Trump's third attempt to implement the travel ban has, for now, met the same fate as the previous two -- blocked by litigation in the federal courts.
Trump's earlier bans, from January and March, were struck down by several federal courts before the Supreme Court allowed part of the second ban to take effect in late June. The second version of the travel ban, issued in March, had barred residents of six Muslim-majority countries -- Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
The White House called Watson's ruling a "dangerously flawed district court" order that "undercuts the president's efforts to keep the American people safe and enforce minimum security standards for entry into the United States."
It said the travel ban was issued after an extensive worldwide security review by the Secretary of Homeland Security, and following consultation between the president and members of the cabinet, including the Secretaries of Homeland Security, State, and Defense and the Attorney General.
"These restrictions are vital to ensuring that foreign nations comply with the minimum security standards required for the integrity of our immigration system and the security of our Nation," the White House statement said.
